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E983140983145983156983151983154rsquo983155 N983151983156983141 Paper presented at the IAALD XIIIth WorldCongress Montpellier 26ndash29 April 2010 Scienti1047297c and Techni-cal Information and Rural Development

A983138983155983156983154983137983139983156 Faced with the challenge of inventing new ways to-wards sustainable development the capacity of societies to in-novate appears as fundamental A common assumption is thatmaking more information available will encourage actors to de-

velop new solutions However although science has never pro-duced as much informationas today and stakeholders have nev-er had access to as many sources of information this quantity of

information sometimes appears as illusory In fact relevant in-formation is oen crushed by quantity and stakeholders feeldisabled faced with so much information blocking their capaci-ty to act Moreover among the increasing quantities of scienti1047297cand technical information many are of limited applicationhaving been produced in very speci1047297c contexts Informationcannot be used because it is not adapted and appropriated by the actors It is necessary to invent new ways of mobilizing in-formation in speci1047297c situations and develop the capacity of stakeholders to do so

Literature oen presents information as a key element of learning processes to enable innovation in development proj-ects Different learning theories formalize such processes inwhich information is part of a dynamic cycle actors constructnew knowledge and develop competencies to then better use

available information within ideal learning organizations orlearning communities But in practice what are the factorswhich encourage such learning and innovative processes inwhich information truly fosters innovation

To contribute to re1047298exion we will bring insight from a RuralUniversity (Universidade Camponesa-UniCampo) which aimedat developing the capacities of community leaders in a territory of the semi-arid region of Brazil Information in such territo-ries raises some particular issues Oen social and economicalinformationis themonopoly of traditional elites who still dom-inate politically these regions Adequate agronomical informa-tion is inexistent being only available for productive zonesMoreover local knowledge detained by the populations is oendisdained the banks and technical advisory services imposingtheir views

At UniCampo a collective re1047298exion was engaged to discussdevelopment models and suggest new ways Information adaptedto the context was produced through research and experimenta-tion simultaneously reinforcing the actorsrsquo knowledge andskills 983040e information build during this process considered aslegitimate by the actors involved as well as by other institutionsin the territory was used to suggest new development projects983040us empowered the community leaders started asking to beinformed about the development policies in the territory layingclaim to accountability Although several limits can be pointedto the overall assessment of this experience shows that by en-hancing the links between information systems capacity build-

ing and governance systems actors can learn to better mobilizeand produce information and thus suggest innovative ways forthe sustainable development of their territory

R983273983155983157983149983273 Pour reacutepondre au deacute1047297 drsquoinventer de nouveaux modesde vie pour le deacuteveloppement durable la capaciteacute drsquoinnovationdes socieacuteteacutes apparaicirct essentielle Une affirmation commune estque lrsquoinformation disponible favorise la recherche de ces nou-

velles solutions Cependant bien que la science nrsquoait jamais pro-duit autant drsquoinformation qursquoaujourdrsquohui et que les acteursnrsquoaient jamais eu accegraves agrave autant de sources drsquoinformation lrsquoin-

formation disponible apparaicirct parfois illusoire En fait lrsquoinfor-mation pertinente est comme noyeacutee par la quantiteacute et les ac-teurs semblent eacutecraseacutes par cette information qui bloque leurcapaciteacute drsquoaction Une grande partie de lrsquoinformation scienti-1047297que et technique est drsquoapplication limiteacutee car produite dansdes contextes tregraves speacuteci1047297ques Lrsquoinformation ne peut pas ecirctreutiliseacutee parce qursquoelle nrsquoest ni adapteacutee aux situations ni appro-prieacutee par les acteurs Il semble neacutecessaire drsquoinventer de nou-

velles maniegraveres de mobiliser lrsquoinformation pour reacutepondre agrave dessituations toujours speacuteci1047297ques et de deacutevelopper la capaciteacute desacteurs pour le faire

La litteacuterature preacutesente souvent lrsquoinformation comme lrsquoeacuteleacute-ment principal des apprentissages qui permettent lrsquoinnovationdans des projets de deacuteveloppement Diffeacuterentes theacuteories de lrsquoap-prentissage formalisent ces processus Lrsquoinformation est ldquomo-

teurldquo drsquoun cycle vertueux les acteurs construisent de nouvellesconnaissances et deacuteveloppent des compeacutetences pour mieux utiliser lrsquoinformation disponible au sein de communauteacutes drsquoap-prentissage Mais dans la pratique quels sont les facteurs quipermettent de tels processus drsquoapprentissage ougrave lrsquoinformationstimule vraiment lrsquoinnovation Pour contribuer agrave la reacute1047298exionnous analyserons une expeacuterience drsquouniversiteacute paysanne (Uni-

versidade Camponesa -UniCampo) qui a chercheacute agrave deacutevelopperles compeacutetences de responsables communautaires dans un ter-ritoire de la reacutegion semi-aride du Breacutesil Lrsquoinformation dans detels territoires renvoie agrave des deacute1047297s particulers Lrsquoinformation so-ciale et eacuteconomique est le monopole des eacutelites traditionnellesqui dominent toujours politiquement ces reacutegions Lrsquoinforma-tion agronomique adapteacutee aux situations est inexistante carproduite et importeacutee des zones plus productives Les savoirs et

connaissances locales sont largement meacutepriseacutes les banques etles services drsquoappui techniques imposant leurs vues

A lrsquoUniCampo une reacute1047298exion collective a eacuteteacute engageacutee pourdiscuter des modegraveles de deacuteveloppement et suggeacuterer de nouvellesmaniegraveres de produire Une information adapteacutee au contexte aeacuteteacute produite par la recherche et lrsquoexpeacuterimentation renforccedilant agravela fois les connaissances et compeacutetences des acteurs Lrsquoinforma-tion produite est consideacutereacutee comme leacutegitime par les acteurs im-pliqueacutes mais aussi par les diffeacuterentes institutions et organisa-tions du territoire Elle a eacuteteacute utiliseacutee pour deacute1047297nir de nouveaux projets de deacuteveloppement Renforceacutes les leaders communau-taires ont revendiqueacute un droit de regard sur les politiques de

How Can Information Contribute toInnovative Learning ProcessesInsight from a Farmer University in BrazilEmilie Coudel Jean-Philippe Tonneau

Agricultural Information Worldwide ndash 3 983090 ndash 983090010

983044

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Introduction

Sustainable development is not an obvious policy toput into practice It is a real challenge to change ways of life production and management Will we be able to doso Every day the complexities and difficulties of deal-ing with the contradictory objectives of productionpreservation and social equality prove that sustainabledevelopment requires innovation to change thinking todeal with uncertainty to invent new processes and toadapt to change (Hall and Vredenburg 983090003 Veldkampet al 983090009)

Scienti1047297c and technical information has a central rolein innovation processes For example one of the mainobjectives of ldquoinnovation polesrdquo has always been to pro-mote the exchange of knowledge and know-how throughnetworking and dissemination of scienti1047297c and techni-cal information

983040e concept of ldquoInformation Societyrdquo (Petit 1998)which emerged in the 1990rsquos highlights both the dra-matic increase in scienti1047297c and technical informationand the extraordinary development of technologicaltools to better manage this information classify it dif-fuse it and target potential users However it appearsmore and more clear that the available information isnot fully used in decision processes in particular to im-

plement sustainable development 983040e information isusable in the sense that it exists in an attractive formbut is it relevant and useful for the stakeholders Dothey have the capacities to mobilize it And do their en-

vironments provide the conditions that enable them touse it

983040ese questions are partly re1047298ected in the concept of ldquoKnowledge Societyrdquo (Foray 983090004) in which scienti1047297cand technical information is not a product to be imple-mented but the basis for a capacity building process thatcan lead to innovation Our purpose is to analyze under

what conditions scienti1047297c and technical information

may contribute to these processes We will 1047297rst identify the limits of the current model of information produc-tion and knowledge management and will discuss theimportance of their integration in learning processesWe will then explore theoretical elements to understandthe roles of information in the learning process Usingthe case of a Farmer University in Brazil we will illus-trate how information production has been used to en-hance the learning processes and enable the stakehold-ers to design projects for sustainable development

With this insight we hope to contribute to thinkingabout new ways of associating information productionand capacity building within a shared learning process

The limits of the current model

A massive production of scienti1047297c and technical in-formation but with what result ndash Innovation is oenpresented as the product of interactions between re-search and stakeholders In this interaction scienti1047297cand technological information has a central role In re-cent years the 1047298ow of scienti1047297c and technological infor-mation has increased continuously 983040ere have neverbeen as many researchers nor as many resources (NSB -National Science Board 983090010) Scienti1047297c output has

multiplied Furthermore with the advent of Internetand with English as a common communication lan-guage opportunities for access to information have in-creased dramatically

However it cannot be ignored that under-develop-ment and its consequences (resource crisis industrialpollution poverty exclusion etc) are still present Weare reminded every day with continual debates and dec-larations about the limits of our development modeleconomic limits environmental limits social limits

How can this paradox between high productivity of

How Can Information Contribute to Innovative Learning Processes Insight from a Farmer University in Brazil

1048580

deacuteveloppement dans le territoire Bien que plusieurs limites aienteacuteteacute identi1047297eacutees lrsquoeacutevaluation globale de lrsquoexpeacuterience deacutemontre quelrsquoimplication dans des processus qui allient systegravemes drsquoinforma-tion renforcement des compeacutetences et gouvernance favorise lesprocessus drsquoapprentissage et permet aux acteurs de mobiliser etproduire de lrsquoinformation pertinente et drsquoinventer de nouvelles

voies pour le deacuteveloppement durable de leur territoire

R983141983155983157983149983141983150 La literatura a menudo presenta la informacioacutencomo un elemento clave de procesos de aprendizaje para permi-

tir la innovacioacuten en proyectos de desarrollo Diferentes teoriacuteasde aprendizaje formalizan dichos procesos en los cuales la in-formacioacuten forma parte de un ciclo dinaacutemico los actores con-struyen nuevo conocimiento y desarrollan competencias paraluego utilizar mejor la informacioacuten disponible dentro de orga-nizaciones o comunidades de aprendizaje ideales Pero en lapraacutectica iquestcuaacuteles son los factores que promueven dichos proce-sos de aprendizaje y de innovacioacuten iquestCuaacutel es la informacioacuten que

verdaderamente fomenta la innovacioacuten La Universidade Cam-ponesa (UniCampo) buscoacute desarrollar las capacidades de losliacutederes comunitarios en un territorio de la regioacuten semiaacuterida deBrasil La informacioacuten en dichos territorios plantea algunos

temas particulares A menudo la informacioacuten social y econoacutemi-ca es monopolizada por las elites tradicionales que todaviacuteadominan poliacuteticamente estas regiones La informacioacuten agriacutecolaadecuada aunque disponible para las zonas productivas no ex-iste para la regioacuten seleccionada Es maacutes el conocimientoautoacutectono retenido por las comunidades locales es a menudomenospreciado por los bancos y los servicios de asesoriacutea teacutecnicaque imponen sus puntos de vista En UniCampo se celebroacute unaconsulta de diversos grupos de interesados directos para tratarlos modelos de desarrollo y sugerir nuevas maneras de inter-

cambio de informacioacuten Se produjo informacioacuten adaptada alcontexto mediante la investigacioacuten y la experimentacioacuten re-forzando simultaacuteneamente los conocimientos y las habilidadesde los actores Empoderados de esta manera los liacutederes comu-nitarios empezaron a solicitar que fueran informados acerca delas poliacuteticas de desarrollo en el territorio A pesar de diversaslimitaciones la evaluacioacuten general de esta experiencia indicaque al mejorar los viacutenculos entre sistemas de informacioacuten y sis-temas de fortalecimiento de capacidades y de gobernanza losactores pueden aprender a movilizar y producir informacioacutenmejor y sugerir por lo tanto maneras innovadoras para el de-sarrollo sostenible de su territorio

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science and its low efficiency be explained in terms of sustainable development Has science become isolatedhas it been cut off from reality as some suggest But sci-ence has never ever been as attentive to social demand(Grossetti 983090000) nor as preoccupied with its utility Ac-cording to Gibbons et al (1994) scienti1047297c research is now mobilized by industry and governments to resolve issues

If we consider science in reference to the overall social

transformation process (Bessis 199) ourhypothesisis thatscience is too oen mobilized on technical issues and doesnot take into consideration the requirements of sustain-able development nor the impact of evolving conditionssuch as climate change Science is oen limited to usefulor utilitarian research designed for speci1047297c applicationsbut with no real capacity to address the future Achievinga social consensus on the ultimate aims of development of the society is a prerequisite for de1047297ning the technical in-terventions to reach those aims Science is not only aboutinventing new technologies it must also be involved inhelping to guide social transformation and its aims

983040e challenge of making information usable but

above all useful ndash 983040e challenge of the ldquoinformation so-cietyrdquo is to develop more efficient tools to store shareand reproduce information Indeed tools such as meta-data semantic web intelligent agents text-mining ormapping systems allow us to sort information intelli-gently and to better target its potential users Usually thepurpose of these tools is to make information usable butthis does not guarantee its usefulness

Developing an efficient technical tool enables us tomanage information but the relevance of informationmay be at stake And this relevance depends on theneeds of the actors 983040e challenge is how to ensure theinformation meets a need which is oen imperfectly orpartially expressed Will this information be useful Forwhom is it relevant Why is it relevant Any informationsystem designer faces the difficulty of mobilizing the po-tential users both to make them express their needs andexpectations (Reix 1998) but also to bring this system tolife by providing the necessary information Such infor-

mation design is inseparable from an approach whichplaces learning at its centre

983040e notion of ldquoknowledge societyrdquo associates informa-tion with learning the issue isnrsquot only about quantities of information but about how this information is used tocreate knowledge which can be used by stakeholders Inthis concept there is a difference between informationand knowledge (Foray 983090004) Information is external to

agents it exists without them It can be reproduced atalmost no cost (for example a photocopy of a book or apaper) On the other hand knowledge is ldquointernalizedrdquoinformation that is what an agent retains of that infor-mation and how heshe can possibly use it for future ac-tion Knowlege only exists within the agent in a tacitform In this sense knowledge is not reproducible with-out cost and the cost is ldquolearningrdquo 983040erefore the chal-lenge of the ldquoknowledge societyrdquo is to encourage its agentsto learn and develop new knowledge using available in-formation and this will in turn create new informationusable for others through a dynamic learning cycle

In this sense information can become a tool for dia-

logue and debate enabling users to take decisions forcollective action A group organized around a commonproject can become a ldquolearning communityrdquo (Brown etal 1989) within which a continuous learning processmobilizes information and produces competencies 983040elearning process is based on the assumption that no oneknows where they are going and there is no pre-de1047297nedsolution 983040e stakeholders are involved to learn andbuild the solution together Encouraging such learningis always a challenge and there is no recipe Howeverdifferent theories provide a better understanding of these processes We explore some of them in the follow-ing section

Information and learning processestheoretical perspective

Information as part of a knowledge cycle ndash Learn-ing in psychology studies is seen both as a cognitive

process (acquiring knowledge) anda behavioural process (changing be-haviourspractices through a trialand error process learning in ac-tion) Learning can be formalized ina cycle such as in organizational

studies or knowledge managementtheories (Reix 1998 Rivoire 983090004)where information becomes knowl-edge as it is internalized and knowl-edge becomes competency as it isappropriated In our sense compe-tency is the capacity to act accord-ing to a given situation and to de-cide what knowledge to mobilize inthis situation Figure 1 represents thiscycle It is important to understand


8

F983145983143983157983154983141 1 ndash Information and the knowledge cycle (by the authors inspired by Reix (1998) and Rivoire (2004)

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the components as being part of a common learningprocess

Information is an important element of this knowl-edge cycle and can be used in different ways implying

various learning processes

983089) At the simplest level an individual receives informa-tion and acts accordingly almost by re1047298ex

1048626) Information that is internalized by an individualbecomes knowledge and can then be used later tocarry out actions

983091) By re1047298ecting on the result of these actions the individual will learn to adapt his knowledge to the situa-tion developing competencies He is then capable of giving meaning to the information available

983092) According to his needs in a given situation an individual can search for information from his environ-ment to help guide his action

5) An individual can also create new types of informa-tion if none is available which 1047297ts his needs For thishe needs some vision of what information he wishes

In these different processes there is an increasing in-terrelation between the actor and his environmentwhich frees him from existing information and enableshim to produce the information necessary to his actionIt is through this process that adaptation or innovationcapacity can be created

Learning loops theory helps to explain the complexity in the relationships with information according to theworks of Bateson (191048580983090) for individual learning or Argyrisand Schoumln (199983044) which formalizes group learning pro-cesses Single-loop learning occurs when new knowl-edge is acquired and transformed with the aim of im-

proving a process Double-loop learning goes furthernew knowledge is used to gain a new perception of is-sues and problems leading to a new way of solvingthem More recently some authors have added new loops (Romme and van Witteloostuijn 1999) zero-looplearning occurs with a direct transfer of informationwhich does not imply true appropriation by the actorsIn triple-loop learning a group rede1047297nes itself and new collective frameworks especially for learning togetherwhich oen gives them the possibility to challenge socialrules or dominant paradigms and introduce new ones(Foldy and Creed 1999 Turcotte et al 983090001048580)

983040is theory enables the actor to understand what type

of information may be necessary in a given situation andwhat competencies the individuals or the group mustbuild or mobilize to be able to act In the case of a wellde1047297ned project single-loop learning is sufficient for car-rying it out and the actors need codi1047297ed information tobuild their knowledge and competencies from whichthey can suggest new adapted information But whencurrent strategies are not working the actors need to de-1047297ne new ways of acting and new values For this they need information to build a common understandingwithin their group so they can interact more effectively

We call this framing information In a less well-de1047297nedproject where there is a situation of uncertainty as may occur in sustainable development it may be necessary to develop triple-loop learning to 1047297nd new frameworksfor thinking And for this actors need to be able to ex-plore and build new information We call this explorato-ry information is oen based on comparative informa-tion We will discuss these aspects in the next part

Learning to use and build information within proj-ects ndash Actors will mobilize different types of informa-tion depending on the outcomes expected for theirproject which will help them learn together and carry out the project How to empower actors so that they arecapable of using available information How do they know what kind of information they need in a given sit-uation How can we encourage them to gather new in-formation when necessary

In our experience these questions can be answeredby understanding how the production of information isintegrated into the learning process 983040ere are two key questions what information is needed for the project

And who is involved in the production of informationIn situations of uncertainty actorsrsquo needs may change

and require constant rede1047297nition throughout the life of the project Identifying this information is all the moredifficult if power relationships are involved all actors donot have the same interests or willingness to share infor-mation In many situations not only in developingcountries civic exclusion of a part of the population is areality 983040e relationship with politics are crucial in many projects (Pasquier et al 983090001048580)

983040ese issues raise the question of ethics 983040e conceptof ldquocitizen sciencerdquo ldquorecognizes individuals as authors of

their decisions and capable of thinking or having controlover their actions whatever be the time and situationrdquo(Bouilloud 983090000) 983040is choice presumes a situationwhere knowledge production is democratized within aldquocognitive democracyrdquo (Ghora-Gobin 1993) 983040e guid-ing principle is that no population should be excludedfrom the discussion around the project and that every-one should be able to participate in the design andchoose how they wish to be involved In concrete termsthe discussion is open to all and continuous throughoutthe project cycle

Many donor institutions now base their programs onmanagement theories (Dearden et Kowalski 983090003)

which describe four steps of a project cyclebull involving the actors

bull helping the actors de1047297ne a project

bull implementing the project

bull assessing the project and de1047297ning new orientations forthe project

Each step corresponds to different learning dynamicsand therefore requires different types of information Em-powering stakeholders to mobilize information is insep-arable from enabling them to develop learning dynamics


9

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during the process 983040is assumes that the conditions forthis learning have are known which actors what type of facilitation in what context etc In this process infor-

mation is both a condition to the learning and a result of the learning if the appropriate information is availableit can enhance the learning and through learning theactors will be able to seek more information they needfor their project Table 1 presents step by step the domi-nant learning dynamics and type of information that isnecessary for each step of the project

983040e link between production of information and thelearning process was studied in the Farmer University project discussed below 983040is case provides useful in-sights on how to characterize the learning process andits impacts

Case of a Farmer University in Brazil

983040e Farmer University aims at developing the capaci-ties of community leaders in a territory of the semi-aridregion of Brazil Information in such territories raisessome particular issues Oen social and economic in-formation is the monopoly of traditional elites who stillpolitically dominate these regions Adequate agronomicinformation is available for the more productive zonesbut non-nexistent for this region Moreover localknowledge retained by the communities is oen ignoredby the banks and technical advisory services who im-

pose their views983040is training project situated in a marginalized re-gion with many excluded actors aimed to reinforce thecapacities of local stakeholders by helping them to pro-duce their own knowledge within their own projectsProjects were classi1047297ed as territorial projects individualproduction projects or collective service projects Wewill analyze this experience to bring some practical per-spective on the following questions

bull What was the role of information in the learningprocess

bull Was the actorsrsquo capacity to mobilize project informa-tion strengthened

UniCampo organization of the learning process ndash

At the beginning of the year 983090000 several institutionsincluding universities in Brazil and CONTAG (the Na-tional Agricultural Workers Union) started discussingthe project of a Farmer University for Brazil 983040e objec-tive was to train rural actors to enable them to combineprofessional integration sustainable community develop-ment and involvement in local public policies (Canielloet al 983090003) 983040e idea was to develop a network of initia-tives federated around common principles In 983090003CIRAD and the Universidade Federal de CampinaGrande (UFCG) implemented a pilot project ldquoUniCam-pordquo (short for Universidade Camponesa) in the Caririterritory in partnership with several local organisations

983040e Cariri territory was chosen because UFCG al-ready had several contacts with local organisations withwhich it was able to establish partnerships to implementUniCampo 983040is territory comprises 31 municipalitiescovers an area of 19830909830909830440 km2 (9830900 of the Paraiba state)and has a total population over 190000 (SITSDT983090008) Cariri is located in the semi-arid region of theNortheast (Figure 983090) named Sertatildeo It has long been rep-resentative of a traditional agricultural land systembased on large fazendas or plantations Production wasformerly based mainly on extensive cattle breeding andmore recently on cotton 983040e great land owners (known

as coloneis) dominated the economic and political are-nas and most of the population was employed by themas agricultural workers or as land tenants

Aer the cotton crisis in the early 1980s and the failureof intensive irrigation systems most land owners aban-doned cotton A noncon1047298ictual land reform occurred pro-gressively opening spaces for family agriculture Howeverintensive use of soil and deforestation of the forest cover of the semi-arid region has led to extensive soil erosion andsubsequent land degradation 983040e Cariri is now one of theterritories considered to be most threatened by deserti1047297-


9830440

T983137983138983148983141 1 ndash Learning dynamics and information

Step Learning dynamics Type of information

Involving the actors Actors must feel involved in the project and acceptto engage in it with other actors (double-loop)

Framing information helps understandother points of view (language context etc)

De1047297ning a project Once the group exists the actors must develop theconsciousness that they want to do a project choosea direction build values together (double-looptowards triple-loop)

Exploratory informationevolution tendencies visions wishes

Implementing the project Actors musts develop the competencies toimplement the project by acquiring knowledge(single-loop)

Codi1047297ed and adapted informationtechnical information adapted to thecontext laws regulations

Assessing the project Actors must be capable of evolving making a criticalassessment and learning from it (triple-loop)

Comparative information beforeaerthis projectother project meaning

7212019 158-454-1-PB


cation in Brazil (Bazin et Cardim 983090003) From a socialpoint of view the public policies implemented during thepast 1047297een years have aimed at strengthening the actionof NGOs but they oen remain unknown to grassrootscommunities and local farmer associations Family farm-ers are encouraged to participate but are rarely presentin the discussion arenas and when they are seldom voicetheir concerns (Bazin et Cardim 983090003 Sayago 98309000983044)

983040e 30 students of UniCampo were selected amongthe farming communities based on their motivation toperform work in their communities Selection was done

jointly with the local partners including a technical advisory service an education forum and township ad-ministrators As the students all had jobs (and were allpart time farmers) courses were held during weekends

Although the contents of the courses were not com-pletely 1047297xed when UniCampo began to function theprinciples were 983040e main principle based on PauloFreirersquos theories (Freire 1910485804) was to develop problem-based learning questioning the studentsrsquo own reality (Caniello et Tonneau 98309000983044)

Seven key questions guided the process

bull Who are we

bull What resources do we have

bull How do we use these resourcesbull How can we use what we have more effectively

bull What project do we want

bull How can we implement the project

bull How can we manage the project

A second important principle was to develop an equalrelationship between students and teachers 983040is is aprocess of dialogue in which the students contributetheir practical knowledge while the teachers contributeformalisation and research tools

983040e pilot course which lasted forthree years from 983090003 to 98309000 wasput together progressively in threeperiods and adjusted step by step tomeet the studentsrsquo demands 983040e 1047297rstperiod (in 983090003) enabled the partici-pants to become aware of the mech-anisms of underdevelopment that af-

fect the semi-arid region 983040e secondperiod (in 983090004) was centred ontraining through research (analysingsituations in the Cariri) 983040e third pe-riod (in 98309000) encouraged individualand collective development projectsand adapted technical and practicaltraining to the needs of each proj-ect Projects ranged from individualhen raising to collective gardeningwith women or introducing hayingto many farmers in the territory

Aer this pilot course plans were

made to implement new coursesbased on the same principles To draw the lessons fromthis 1047297rst experience a doctoral research project assessedthe learning dynamics and their impact on the studentsand on the development of the territory (Coudel 983090009)Several projects have been undertaken aer UniCampowith a similar philosophy both in the Cariri territory and in other territories However UniCampo was themost ambitious program and we will therefore focusour analysis on the learning dynamics and impactswhich occurred during this 1047297rst pilot course

Analyzing the learning dynamics ndash To assess the

learning dynamics aer the course different methodswere used interviews with all the actors involved (stu-dents teachers partners) group re1047298ections or the useof tools such as collectively constructed branch dia-grams to analyze what factors most in1047298uenced the learn-ing (Coudel et al 983090009)

983040is assessment shows that as a result of the progres-sive planning of the course the learning dynamics wereadapted to the needs of the students and different typesof information were mobilized During the 1047297rst periodthe students from different backgrounds and geograph-ic areas learned to understand each otherrsquos realities ex-changing information on respective activities and cities

983040e teachers brought general information includinghistorical and political information which generatedquestions and enabled a discussion on developmentmodels (such as the green revolution model) Both thesedynamics contributed to de1047297ne new values within thegroup similar to a double-loop learning process In factthe students created an association aer this 1047297rst periodconsolidating their group identity

983040e second period continued this dynamic the re-search process enabled the students to search for infor-mation on their territory and produce new information


9830441

F983145983143983157983154983141 2 ndash e Cariri territory in the Northeast region of Brazil

7212019 158-454-1-PB


adapted to their needs in order to de1047297ne their own proj-ect individually or collectively 983040is information al-lowed them to explore the possibilities and de1047297ne what

they wished to do 983040is consolidated the double-looplearning-the project being a way to make their new val-ues come true

In the third period the students expressed a need forcompetencies to develop their projects 983040ey wantedtechnical information (for example how to milk goatsor how to raise hens) but also methods on how to writeup their project results (for example technical writingand statistical analysis) 983040ey initiated a single-looplearning process to implement their projects 983040ey wereable to use information produced during the researchprocess which was adapted to their own context

Aer the UniCampo course the students continuedto share amongst themselves and to undertake new development projects in the territory thanks to the the as-sociation that they had created During the process they became aware of other organizations in the territory andhad to consider how they would interact with themEventually this may lead to triple-loop learning inwhich the students would de1047297ne new frameworks foracting in their territory in relation to other institutionsFor this the ex-students need to develop a capacity forcritical analysis of the information they receive on otherprojects developed in the territory and learn from oth-ersrsquo experiences

When the UniCampo Farmer University capacity building process is analyzed with the learning loop the-ory (Table 983090) it is clear that each period featured speci1047297clearning dynamics similar to a project cycle 983040e teach-ers were careful to always encourage the students to nottake anything for granted to look for the informationthey needed and to produce new information thatwould be required for their projects Information andknowledge production was an important part of thelearning process but did it prove to be usable and usefulfor the actors aer the training

Importance of the information aer the training ndash983040e post-training assessment also included evaluation of the actorsrsquo capacity to apply what they had learned during

the training to their every day activities (Coudel et al983090008) Interviews were carried out with the students andthe local organizations of the Cariri territory and differentinteractive methods (cognitive maps card games dia-grams) were used to assess the different types of learningthat had occurred and how this was used by the actors

983040e information and knowledge produced was in-deed usable-the actors emphasised how much they hadused it for their projects 983040e knowledge was under-standable since it had been created and internalized by the actors themselves through interactions with theteachers 983040e seven key questions had an important rolein determining this usability because the actors creatednew knowledge for their own projects it was relevantand well adapted to the context Moreover the informa-tion was usable not only for their personal projects butalso for their communities Many students tried to passon their knowledge to others

983040e knowledge created has also equipped the actorsto engage with other organizations (associations ad-ministrations unions) and to involve themselves in lo-cal and territorial policies In fact this knowledge givesthe actors a new legitimacy as it appears to be legitimateknowledge 983040is legitimacy is both internal and exter-nal Since the actors produced this knowledge they con-

sider it as valuable and worth defending and promotingfor their own projects for their community projects (forexample convincing their neighbours) or for the territo-ry (for example in negotiations on local policies) Andsince UniCampo became quite recognized as a result of the pilot course the other actors of the territory alsoconsidered the knowledge produced there as legitimateHowever the other territorial actors did not always wantto recognize the students as legitimate to act more wide-ly with this knowledge and oen considered they shouldhave limited themselves to their own projects


983044983090

T983137983138983148983141 2 ndash Learning dynamics at UniCampo Farmer University and information mobilized

Period Learning dynamics Type of information

P983141983154983145983151983140 1Involving the actors

Students discover each other andexchange as well as they learn todiscuss with teachers (double-loop)

Framing information mapping theterritory 1047297eld visits

P983141983154983145983151983140 2De1047297ning a project

Research projects to understand theirterritory and de1047297ne how they want to

act (double-loop)

Exploratory information methods for re-search main issues in the territory (social

environmental educational cultural)P983141983154983145983151983140 3Getting ready to implement the project

Actors musts develop the competenciesto implement the project by acquiringknowledge (single-loop)

Codi1047297ed and adapted information Visits tofarms to understand techniques technicalwriting and statistical analysis projectassessment

A983142983156983141983154 983156983154983137983145983150983145983150983143Towards new projects

Ex-students discover the other organi-zations of the territory and must learnto act with them (triple-loop)

Comparative information informationabout other projects networking onagroecology

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Indeed this learning process has introduced changeIt has fundamentally changed the way actors carry outtheir projects introducing a new way of perceiving andcreating knowledge and enabling new forms of interac-tion between actors For example ex-students who be-came technicians can no longer consider themselves asholders of lsquouniversalrsquo knowledge but discovered thatthey need to build this knowledge jointly with the farm-

ers based on the farmersrsquo practicesEx-students trained to question conventional modes

of knowledge transmission have encountered someproblems getting involved in development organiza-tions they are either simply not hired because they areseen as potential disturbers of the established order orthey do not have the opportunity within the organisa-tion to make use of this new methodology which oenleads to frustration 983040is reveals the limits of individualempowerment and the need to consider another train-ing target territorial organisations

983040e knowledge created within a cohesive group waslinked to the creation of new values (double loop learn-

ing) 983040e students did not always realize this and oenwhen trying to discuss new knowledge with neighboursor with other organizations they were frustrated be-cause others could not understand it as they did notshare the ldquofoundingrdquo values Spreading the informationand knowledge outside the initial group and making itunderstandable by others is still a challenge 983040is iswhere understanding better the conditions which enabletriple loop learning would be important

Discussion and perspective

Sustainable development requires innovation innovation requires relevant and useful information Our hy-pothesis is that information can only be useful and use-able if information production is linked to capacity building in a shared learning process

983040e learning-loop theory formalizes how informa-tion can be best adapted to enhance the learningprocesses To avoid utilitarian projects without perspec-tive re1047298exion about paradigms and values is necessary983040is corresponds to triple loop learning de1047297ning new frames for common action Double and single looplearning are necessary to de1047297ne collective group valuesand competencies that contribute to an effective project

And to do so it is necessary to also apply simple infor-mation (zero loop)

At UniCampo information has been an important el-ement of the learning process promoting change anddialog to empower actors and develop capacities toidentify or to produce relevant information In fact thelearning process was not only an educative process983040ere was also an objective of change to use these ca-pacities to build new projects that more effectively con-tribute to sustainable development 983040e challenge is tomobilize both capacities and information in projects

To enable this interaction between information ca-pacity building and action the learning process at Uni-Campo was organized around three projects

bull A territorial project to encourage the actors to de1047297ne asocial consensus towards sustainable development

bull Individual projects to enable practical involvement of every actor in the territorial project by inventing new forms of production and new activities

bull A collective project to invent new forms of governanceand provide services (credit technical assistance) totranslate the territorial project into collective actionsand eventually in public policies

UniCampo provides an interesting example of how information production can serve learning dynamics toenable development processes both among the farmersinvolved in the project and within the overall Cariri ter-ritory In 983090009 an extended campus of the UFCG wasbuilt in the town of Sumeacute aer a strong lobbying cam-paign by the students local politicians and the teachersof UniCampo bringing long term institutional change

to the territory Moreover the student association now an NGO is oen mentioned by local organisations andalso by governmental institutions such as the Ministry of Agrarian Development as a success story of how fam-ily farmers can bring their voice to the political arena

Nevertheless some limitations of the UniCampoproject can be identi1047297ed To enhance territorial develop-ment the learning process should better interact withthe territorial governance process so that the studentsare not isolated from the other actors in the territory983040e lack of interaction with the actors in charge of terri-torial policies has been highlighted in various assess-ments 983040e political elite legitimate because elected isonly marginally interested in an alternative process thatcould question its dominance In this context it has al-ready been quite a challenge for the students to defendtheir collective vision and their territorial project withinthe wider territorial forum in order to share those proj-ects and mobilize resources from existing public sourcesof support

983040e students may have produced usable informationat UniCampo but its usefulness oen depends on thecontext 983040is recalls Senrsquos theory on capabilities (Sen983090003) to act an actor needs more than capacity he alsoneed opportunity Information may seem appropriate

usable relevant but it can only be useful if the actorshave the capacity to use it and if their environment of-fers them the opportunity to use it

References

Argyris C and Schoumln D 1996 Organizational learningII eorymethod and practice Reading (Mass) Addison Wesley

Bateson G 1972 Steps to an Ecology of Mind Collected Essays in Anthropology Psychiatry Evolution and Epistemology ChandlerPress


9830443

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Bazin F and Cardim S 2003 Plano de Desenvolvimento Sus-tentavel para o Cariri Paraibano PCT MDA-FAO Campinas

Bouilloud JP 2000 Sciences sociales et demande sociale Pourune meacutethodologie Sciences de la socieacuteteacute (Production scienti1047297queet demande sociale) 49 167ndash178

Brown JS Collins A and Duguid P 1989 Situated cognitionand the culture of learning Educational Researcher 18(1) 32ndash42

CanielloM and Tonneau JP 2006 A pedagogia da universi-dade camponesa Rede de Educaccedilatildeo do Semi-Aacuterido 1(1) 11ndash29

Caniello M Tonneau JP Leal F andLima J 2003 Projeto Uni-Campo pela Universidade Camponesa Campina Grande UFCG

Coudel E 2009 Formation et apprentissages pour le deacuteveloppe-ment territorial Regards croiseacutes entre eacuteconomie de la connais-sance et sciences de gestion Reacute1047298exion agrave partir drsquoune Universiteacute Paysanne au Breacutesil 983040esis Montpellier SupAgro 386 p

Coudel E Rey-Valette H and Tonneau JP 2008 Whichcompetencies and learning facilitate the involvement of localactors in territorial governance 983040e example of a Farmer Uni-

versity in Brazil International Journal of Sustainable Develop-ment 11(234)

Coudel E Tonneau JP and Piraux M 2009 Formation com-peacutetences et territoire enseignements de deux expeacuteriences deformation pour le deacuteveloppement territorial dans le Nordestedu Breacutesil Entre projets locaux de deacuteveloppement et globalisationde lrsquoeacuteconomie quels eacutequilibres pour les espaces reacutegionaux LXVI Colloque Association de Science Reacutegionale de Langue FranccedilaiseClermont-Ferrand France 06-08 juillet 2009 ASRDLF 19 p

Foldy EG and Creed D 1999 Action learning Fragmentationand the Integration of Single- Double- and Triple-Loop Changee Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 35(2) 207ndash227

Foray D 2004 e Economics of Knowledge MIT press

Freire P 1974 Education for critical consciousness New YorkContinuum International Publishing Group

Ghora-Gobin C 1993 Crises de la ville et limites de la connais-sance theacuteorique Pour une conceptualisation de la mise en œu-

vre Sciences de la socieacuteteacute 30 171ndash180

Gibbons M 1994 e new production of knowledge the dynam-ics of science and research in contemporary societies SAGE 192 p

Grossetti M 2000 Sciences et ldquodemandes socialesrdquo au tournantdu siegravecle Sciences de la socieacuteteacute 49 3ndash10

Hall J and Vredenburg H 2003 983040e Challenges of Innovatingfor Sustainable Development Sloan Management Review Fall61ndash68

NSB -National Science Board 2010 Science and indicators 2010httpwwwnsfgovstatisticsseind10

Pasquier R Simoulin V and Weinstein J 2007 La gouvernanceterritoriale Pratiques discours et meacutethodes Collection Droit etSocieacuteteacute Vol 44 Paris LGDJ 240 p

Petit P 1998 Lrsquoeacuteconomie de lrsquoinformation au crible des theacuteoriesde lrsquoinformation In Lrsquoeacuteconomie de lrsquoinformation Les enseigne-ments des theacuteories eacuteconomiques Petit P (ed) Paris La deacutecou-

verte et Syros 341ndash406

Reix R 1998 Systegravemes drsquoinformation et management des organi-sations Paris Vuibert

Rivoire G 2004 La compeacutetence reacutesultat de la connaissance in-scrite dans les processus JDN httpsolutionsjournaldunetcom0404040423_chro_bpmsshtml

Romme G and Van Witteloostuijn A 1999 Circular organiz-ing and triple loop learning Journal of Organizational Change Management 12(5) 439ndash454

Sayago D 2006 Territorio do CaririPB Relatorio de trabalhode campo IICA SDTMDA Brasilia

Sen A 2003 Development as capability expansion In Read-ings in Human Development Fukuda-Parr Kumar S (eds) Ox-ford University Press 3ndash17

Turcotte MF Antonova S and Clegg S 2007 Managing learn-ing societally Les cahiers de la CRSDD Collection RechercheVol 14-2007 Montreacuteal Universiteacute du Queacutebec

Veldkamp A Van Altvorst AC Eweg R Jacobsen E VanKleef AVan Latesteijn H Mager S Mommaas H SmeetsPJAM Spaans L and Van Tripj JCM 2009 Triggering tran-sitions towards sustainable development of the Dutch agricul-tural sector TransForumrsquos approach Agronomy for SstainableDevelopment 29(1) 87ndash96

Contact Information

Emilie CoudelUMR InnovationCIRAD-INRA-SupAgroFRANCEE-mail emiliecoudelciradfr

Jean-Philippe TonneauUMR TetisCIRADFRANCEE-mail jean-philippetonneauciradfr


9830444

7212019 158-454-1-PB


Introduction

Sustainable development is not an obvious policy toput into practice It is a real challenge to change ways of life production and management Will we be able to doso Every day the complexities and difficulties of deal-ing with the contradictory objectives of productionpreservation and social equality prove that sustainabledevelopment requires innovation to change thinking todeal with uncertainty to invent new processes and toadapt to change (Hall and Vredenburg 983090003 Veldkampet al 983090009)

Scienti1047297c and technical information has a central rolein innovation processes For example one of the mainobjectives of ldquoinnovation polesrdquo has always been to pro-mote the exchange of knowledge and know-how throughnetworking and dissemination of scienti1047297c and techni-cal information

983040e concept of ldquoInformation Societyrdquo (Petit 1998)which emerged in the 1990rsquos highlights both the dra-matic increase in scienti1047297c and technical informationand the extraordinary development of technologicaltools to better manage this information classify it dif-fuse it and target potential users However it appearsmore and more clear that the available information isnot fully used in decision processes in particular to im-

plement sustainable development 983040e information isusable in the sense that it exists in an attractive formbut is it relevant and useful for the stakeholders Dothey have the capacities to mobilize it And do their en-

vironments provide the conditions that enable them touse it

983040ese questions are partly re1047298ected in the concept of ldquoKnowledge Societyrdquo (Foray 983090004) in which scienti1047297cand technical information is not a product to be imple-mented but the basis for a capacity building process thatcan lead to innovation Our purpose is to analyze under

what conditions scienti1047297c and technical information

may contribute to these processes We will 1047297rst identify the limits of the current model of information produc-tion and knowledge management and will discuss theimportance of their integration in learning processesWe will then explore theoretical elements to understandthe roles of information in the learning process Usingthe case of a Farmer University in Brazil we will illus-trate how information production has been used to en-hance the learning processes and enable the stakehold-ers to design projects for sustainable development

With this insight we hope to contribute to thinkingabout new ways of associating information productionand capacity building within a shared learning process

The limits of the current model

A massive production of scienti1047297c and technical in-formation but with what result ndash Innovation is oenpresented as the product of interactions between re-search and stakeholders In this interaction scienti1047297cand technological information has a central role In re-cent years the 1047298ow of scienti1047297c and technological infor-mation has increased continuously 983040ere have neverbeen as many researchers nor as many resources (NSB -National Science Board 983090010) Scienti1047297c output has

multiplied Furthermore with the advent of Internetand with English as a common communication lan-guage opportunities for access to information have in-creased dramatically

However it cannot be ignored that under-develop-ment and its consequences (resource crisis industrialpollution poverty exclusion etc) are still present Weare reminded every day with continual debates and dec-larations about the limits of our development modeleconomic limits environmental limits social limits

How can this paradox between high productivity of


1048580

deacuteveloppement dans le territoire Bien que plusieurs limites aienteacuteteacute identi1047297eacutees lrsquoeacutevaluation globale de lrsquoexpeacuterience deacutemontre quelrsquoimplication dans des processus qui allient systegravemes drsquoinforma-tion renforcement des compeacutetences et gouvernance favorise lesprocessus drsquoapprentissage et permet aux acteurs de mobiliser etproduire de lrsquoinformation pertinente et drsquoinventer de nouvelles

voies pour le deacuteveloppement durable de leur territoire

R983141983155983157983149983141983150 La literatura a menudo presenta la informacioacutencomo un elemento clave de procesos de aprendizaje para permi-

tir la innovacioacuten en proyectos de desarrollo Diferentes teoriacuteasde aprendizaje formalizan dichos procesos en los cuales la in-formacioacuten forma parte de un ciclo dinaacutemico los actores con-struyen nuevo conocimiento y desarrollan competencias paraluego utilizar mejor la informacioacuten disponible dentro de orga-nizaciones o comunidades de aprendizaje ideales Pero en lapraacutectica iquestcuaacuteles son los factores que promueven dichos proce-sos de aprendizaje y de innovacioacuten iquestCuaacutel es la informacioacuten que

verdaderamente fomenta la innovacioacuten La Universidade Cam-ponesa (UniCampo) buscoacute desarrollar las capacidades de losliacutederes comunitarios en un territorio de la regioacuten semiaacuterida deBrasil La informacioacuten en dichos territorios plantea algunos

temas particulares A menudo la informacioacuten social y econoacutemi-ca es monopolizada por las elites tradicionales que todaviacuteadominan poliacuteticamente estas regiones La informacioacuten agriacutecolaadecuada aunque disponible para las zonas productivas no ex-iste para la regioacuten seleccionada Es maacutes el conocimientoautoacutectono retenido por las comunidades locales es a menudomenospreciado por los bancos y los servicios de asesoriacutea teacutecnicaque imponen sus puntos de vista En UniCampo se celebroacute unaconsulta de diversos grupos de interesados directos para tratarlos modelos de desarrollo y sugerir nuevas maneras de inter-

cambio de informacioacuten Se produjo informacioacuten adaptada alcontexto mediante la investigacioacuten y la experimentacioacuten re-forzando simultaacuteneamente los conocimientos y las habilidadesde los actores Empoderados de esta manera los liacutederes comu-nitarios empezaron a solicitar que fueran informados acerca delas poliacuteticas de desarrollo en el territorio A pesar de diversaslimitaciones la evaluacioacuten general de esta experiencia indicaque al mejorar los viacutenculos entre sistemas de informacioacuten y sis-temas de fortalecimiento de capacidades y de gobernanza losactores pueden aprender a movilizar y producir informacioacutenmejor y sugerir por lo tanto maneras innovadoras para el de-sarrollo sostenible de su territorio

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8


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9830441


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act (double-loop)








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References




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Contact Information




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bull Who are we

















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983044983090








act (double-loop)








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References




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Contact Information




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9830440











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bull Who are we

















9830441


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983044983090








act (double-loop)








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References




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Contact Information




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bull Who are we

















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983044983090








act (double-loop)








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References




9830443

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Contact Information




9830444

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983044983090








act (double-loop)








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References




9830443

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Contact Information




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158-454-1-PB

Documents

Transcript of 158-454-1-PB